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Jes Miller Studio LLC

@jesmiller.studio

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✨ Art | Architecture | Place-Based Consulting
🌿 Preserving memory, shaping new futures
📍 Shelbyville, IN | Working regionally

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160 objects embodying the essence of an artist.

If you were asked to create an object that embodied the essence of your favorite artist, not something that looked like their work, but something that felt like it, how would you do it?

It’s been really cool watching my students wrestle with that question and come up with 160 completely different answers.

Over the last few weeks, they’ve started taking what they discovered through these objects… material, rhythm, repetition, tension, light, movement, enclosure… and translating those ideas toward architecture.

The artists behind the work:
Louise Bourgeois · James Turrell · Rei Kawakubo · Pharrell Williams · Nine Inch Nails · Avicii · Roberto Matta · Fiona Apple · Misty Copeland · Iris van Herpen · AJR · Brian Eno · Joan Miró · underscores · Nicolai Bergmann · Georgia O’Keeffe

I love seeing all of these little experiments together. Each one is such a different answer to the same question. taken in Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning by @jesmiller.studio

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9 days ago

I find myself returning again and again to the craftwork I grew up around; my mom’s stained glass and my dad’s woodworking. For the cherry blossoms, I wanted to bring both of those traditions together in a new way.

We looked at stained-glass flowers as inspiration for the shape and pattern of the blossoms. The finished flowers were custom-designed in collaboration with Thunderbird Molding here in Shelbyville, who fabricated them from polycarbonate with UV printing that gives them a stained-glass quality.

At the center of every flower are circles of thermally modified ash, all made in my dad’s workshop. My dad and Ru had a hand in making every one of the 140 wood circles. I’m so grateful for the hours they’ve spent helping me bring this idea to life.

Altogether, the installation includes 50 flower pieces, 40 brass elements, and 150 clamps supporting everything along braided steel cable.

There have been so many people involved in figuring out how to actually make this idea work. Ignition Arts in Indianapolis has been an incredible collaborator on the design and custom assembly, and Rbhu in California helped with the engineering.

A special thank you to Blue River Community Foundation for giving me the opportunity to create this piece, and to Michael Runge, who designed the Mount Fuji installation for Japanese Alley. I’m so excited that these pieces will come together to celebrate Shelbyville’s friendship with our sister city, Shizuoka, Japan.

With installation day drawing near, we’re finally getting close to seeing the cherry blossoms in their home. by @jesmiller.studio

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21 days ago

Painting Zeus 🖤

This timelapse captures a study I made as a gift for a friend, and as practice for my Paint Your Pet class with Shelbyville Parks & Rec. I really enjoy the process of painting animals and watching their personality come through. taken in Shelbyville, Indiana Parks and Recreation Department by @jesmiller.studio

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8 months ago

Second-year architecture studio, Project 01: Pavilion on the Quad.

Students began with a listening and seeing exercise on the quad, observing spatial, social, and environmental relationships before making anything. Each student selected a material that could capture their observation and allowed form to emerge through that material logic.

Every model represents a specific relationship on the site. I’m proud of how fully they trusted the process and let observation lead design. Some really special spaces emerged by slowing down and listening first. taken in Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning by @jesmiller.studio

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9 months ago

So excited to share that three of my paintings are now on display at Hotel Indigo in Columbus, on their newly refreshed gallery wall in the dining area.

It feels really special to see work from my Rooted in Tomorrow series living in such a beautiful, thoughtfully redesigned space.

They will be up for the next few months, and a reception is coming soon.

If you find yourself there for dinner or a drink, take a moment to wander over and say hello to the forest.

All three works are available for purchase. by @jesmiller.studio

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9 months ago

🌸 Behind the scenes of the Cherry Blossom model 🌸

I’ve been incredibly grateful to collaborate with such an amazing team on this project, including Blue River Community Foundation, Indiana University Architecture, Michael Runge, Ignition Arts, and Thunderbird Molding.

We’re now in the final stages of design and in the final round of fundraising. If we raise $50,000 between January 15 and March 15, the project will be matched with an additional $50,000. Gifts of any size help us bring this collaborative installation to downtown Shelbyville, honoring our Sister City relationship with Shizuoka, Japan.

Learn more about the project or support it here:
Patronicity.com/japanesealley taken in Shelbyville, Indiana by @jesmiller.studio

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9 months ago

I’m excited to share that I’ll be teaching a Paint Your Pet workshop with Shelby Parks on January 29. This class will be so much fun, and you’ll be able to capture your pet beautifully in paint.

The class is $10 at the Civic Center. Doors open at 5:50 pm, we start at 6 pm.

Sign up at shelbyparks.com/artfulexploration. taken in Shelbyville, Indiana by @jesmiller.studio

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a year ago

I got to experience something really special at Garfield Park Conservatory, a jazz concert for plants. The project is called Plant Parenthood and it’s part of the IU Spirit & Place Festival.

This song was written specifically for the vanilla plant. The whole place was warm, cozy, and full of people just… hanging out with plants and live music.

It was such a relaxed, thoughtful way to welcome our first snow of the season. taken in Garfield Park Conservatory - Indy Parks and Recreation by @jesmiller.studio

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a year ago

“Stroll Down Washington Street”
My contribution to this year’s 50/50 Community Art Project.

✨ Exhibition Dates
December 4, 2025 to January 16, 2026 at 411 Gallery

🎉 Opening Reception
December 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM

A Community Art Project: fifty artists, fifty original works, each offered at $50 to support future exhibitions and make local art accessible. Grateful to be part of it again. taken in Columbus Area Arts Council by @jesmiller.studio

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a year ago

I’m honored to share that I’ve officially joined Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning as adjunct faculty. My first day in studio was spent immersed in thoughtful student work, and I had the gift of spending much of it alongside Katherine Darnstadt of Latent Design, witnessing how students responded to her community-centered lens. This generation sees the world with such intelligence, care, and hope. I’m looking forward to nurturing what’s coming next in the world of architecture and place-based design. taken in Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning by @jesmiller.studio

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a year ago

🎨 First Friday at Big Car’s Tube Factory artspace

We came across a really fun community mural project, they had 4x8 paint-by-number panels set up for anyone to help paint. You’d grab a color, find your number, and fill in your section.

It was such a great way to bring people together and make something bigger than any one person could do alone. As an artist, it just felt good to paint with others and see how many different hands can shape a single piece.

We even met one of the artists behind the project, he’s known for painting pet portraits, and his mural was full of fun animals playing instruments.

A simple idea, but such a powerful way to connect through art. taken in Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis -CAMi by @jesmiller.studio

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a year ago

✨ Big news ✨

I’m excited to officially share the launch of Jes Miller Studio: a practice at the intersection of art, architecture, and place-based consulting.

Rooted in the belief that memory and imagination belong in the spaces we share, my work explores how communities can reconnect with their stories and envision new possibilities.

From public art installations and cultural consulting to architectural storytelling and visual art, I’m already working on projects that bring creativity into public life, and there is so much more to come.

Take a look at my updated website to see the vision: www.jesmiller.com

If you’re part of an organization, municipality, or cultural initiative seeking collaboration around community identity, historic preservation, or public art, I’d love to connect.

Here’s to spaces that carry meaning, stories that bring us together, and projects that help communities see their own light. by @jesmiller.studio

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a year ago